1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of telephone design and functionality. More specifically, it relates to user interfaces for telephones with voice-over-IP capability and telephony related services.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Many phones used today follow a key/lamp pair paradigm that offers users with literally hundreds of options and features. The key/lamp pair is a button on a phone and a corresponding LED light or lamp. This combination of button and LED lamp can be found on most PBX type phones used in offices and in various other environments outside the typical residential home. Typically, many phones today have at least 10 to 15 key/lamp pairs, some with many more, an information display area, also having corresponding keys for choosing menu items in the display area, and a variety of other buttons and controls. In short, most phones used in business or other non-residential settings are too complicated and the procedures for using them non-intuitive for many users. Although such phones offer users with many sophisticated and useful features, most users know how to use four or five of these features without having to look in a user's guide which, as a practical matter, is generally not done. Another problem stemming from the key/lamp pair paradigm is labeling the various keys with the name of the function, option, or speed-dial number. Despite the sophistication of today's phone, much of the labeling is done by printing or handwriting small labels and taping or adhering them next to the appropriate button. When the function or label of a particular button changes, a new label needs to be made to replace the old one. This manual process alone is a sufficiently high hurdle to keep many people from fully utilizing their phones.
In addition to being overly complex and cluttered with options and features most people rarely use, even the better designed phones provide little information on how to navigate through calls and other features such as messaging and voice mail. For example, most phones still rely on a blinking light to indicate messages or that a call is on hold or a red light to indicate that the “Set Busy” feature is activated. The user interface and display features are not commensurate with the sophistication and complexity of many phones today. As a result, users are not instructed on how to navigate and utilize many of the features via a simple and intuitive user interface. Most interfaces on phones today are limited to small liquid crystal display areas and numerous buttons and corresponding lamps. With such interfaces, for example, it is difficult to provide quick access to frequently used features—an important characteristic of any user interface. Furthermore, given the shortcomings of many user interfaces on phones today, it is unlikely they can provide non-telephonic information to a user. Presently, phones are under utilized in that they are capable of providing in-depth data on messaging, phone directories, and third-party data.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a highly functional phone with a graphical display area capable of showing a rich depth of information on a screen for the user to see at any given time. It would be desirable to have a user interface in which buttons and keys are context-sensitive thereby reducing the number of mostly unused buttons on the phone. It would also be desirable to have a user interface familiar to users such as a window or plane-oriented interface for presenting information in an easily comprehensible and intuitive manner. It would also be desirable to give users on-demand access to context-sensitive “Help” information on functions and options available on the phone at anytime, thereby enabling users to take advantage of features and functions on the phone.